Hokse-collab



'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

E. D. GOULD, OF DARIEN, NEW YORK.

HORSE-COLLAR BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 195846, dated April 6, 1858i.

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, ELANsoN D. GOULD, of Darien, in the county ofGenesee and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Collar- Blocks for Forming Collars for Harness; and I dohereby declare that the same are described and represented in thefollowing specification and drawings..

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my new manufacture Iwill proceed to describe their construction and use, referring to thedrawings in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of thefigures.

Figures l and 2 are elevations of the thick and thin parts of the collarblock. Fig. 3 is a plan of the thick part. Fig. 4 is a planof the thinpart.

The nature of my invention consists in so constructing the collar blockas to shape the interior of the front of the collar, and the interior ofthe rear of the collar, and the interior only and stretch them at thesame time, and hold them firmly in the form required, while the rear orbelly of the collar is worked into the form required by hand with amallet and other suitable tools.

In the accompanying drawings the thick part of the block which forms therear of the collar is shown at A, with a score B cut from its narrowestend into about the center. There is a groove in each side of the scoreB, for the tongues C, C, of the bar D, to traverse in; which bar D, isfitted to traverse inthe score B, and is made in the form shown in thedrawing, that is with a semicircular head to form the interior of thetop of the collar. The bar D, is perforated lengthwise and provided witha female screw to which the screw E, is fitted and arranged to actagainst a metal plate at the end of the score B, and force out the barD, and elongate the block to stretch the collar being formed upon it.

The thin portion F, of the block is made about the same size and shapeof the small side of the thick part A, and provided with a hollow on itsexterior edge to form the .interior or front of the rim of the collar.

The thin part F, has a score Gr, in it similar to the thick part,provided with grooves for the tongues H, H, on the bar I, which visfitted to traverse in the score G and is provided with a semicircularhead J, to form the interior of the top of the collar. There are twobrackets K, K, fastened to the block A, and bar D, as shown in Fig. 3,one portion of which brackets projects at right angles as shown in Fig.1, which portion is fitted to the score G, so that when the thin part F,is put upon the thick part A, and both are put in to a collar thebracket fastened to A, will hold the part F in its proper place whilethe bracket fastened to the bar D, will force or carry out the bar I, soas to stretch and form the front or rim of the collar, at the same timethat the rear is formed on A.

The collar block having been made and completed as above described, thecollar covering whether made of leather or cloth or part of each may besewed and stuffed in some one of the Well known modes in common use; andan opening left in the top of the rear part for the screw E; when thusprepared the thin block may be put into the front or rim of the collaron the front side and the thick block or parton the rear side and thescrew turned -to elongate the block to hold the collar rmly upon it,when the bellyl or rear of the collar may be worked over outward bypressing it with the hands, pounding it with a mallet, and by the use ofsuch other tools as may be useful and convenient for that purpose, the`block being made thin; that is the thin part one and one fourth of aninch thick, and the thick part 2 inches so that both together are onlythree and onefourth inches thick, so as to allow the belly or rear ofthe collar to rise or project above the block that the workman may havean opportunity to hammer it over with a mallet, or work it over withother tools which cannot be done with any other collar block within myknowledge. During the progress of working the collar into shape thescrew E may be operated as desired to eect the purposes intended; andthe block with the 'collar upon it may be turned over as often asdesired, so as to work upon each side of the collar alternately, withfacility if it is desirable to do so, until it is worked or wrought intoa proper shape; thereby enabling the workman to make a far better andmore perfect collar than has been made heretofore. When the collar has`been wrought into the required shape and block, when the thin part maybe taken out on the front side and the thick part on the rear side.

lVIost of the horse collars heretofore made have been stuffed withlong-straw, or straw cut short like that used for feeding animals. Thosestuffed with long straw have usually been formed by hand without the aidof a block; and they are far more expensive to make, and are consideredfar superior `to those stuffed with short straw and consequently command'a higher price. The leather for collars to be stuffed with short strawis sewed,4 and the straw put in while they are straight. After they arefilled they are bent and formed upon a collar block, upon which they areplaced for that purose. P The collar blocks heretofore made to form ormold collars filled with short straw, have` been made with a broad base,to form the rear or belly of the collar: this base has been made sobroad that the workman has had no opportunity to manipulate, or workupon the rear or belly of the collar while it is upon the block, tolevel any high places, or stretch the leather where it is short;therefore he has been compelled to leave it just as it is stuifed andmolded by the block, with all the hard and soft places in it which areincident to such manufactures, before they are manipulated or workedlevel and uniform by the proper appliances. When these collars areapplied to use the hard places remain rm and soon become prominent so asto gall the horse while the soft places Vyield to the pressure of thehorse and soon form hollows.

The object of my invention is to remedy and overcome the above-mentioneddefects, so as to make collars equally as perfect, whether stuffed withshort or long straw, as the best collars have heretofore been made,

that were stuffed with long straw: To effect this improvement, I make mycollar block, so as to shape and stretch the interior of the front andthe interior of the rear, next to the front, and the interior only, soas to leave the rear or belly of the collar to be manipulated by hand,and beat out with a mallet or other suitable tool, and the hardprominent parts worked into the soft low parts, so as to make the rearof the collar uniform inshape and hardness, so that when it is used thepressure on it will not form hollows with high places between them togall the animal which wears the collar: in this way I am able to make afar better and more perfect collar than can be made upon a block with abase to mold the rear of the collar as heretofore practiced.

I am aware that numerous collar blocks have been made with a base tomold the rear or belly of the collar; so that the workman cannotmanipulate or work on the rear of the collar, while it is upon theblock, the rear ofthe collar being formed and molded entirely by thehase of the block: therefore I do not claim a collar block with a baseto mold the rear, or belly of the collar; but

vWhat I do claim as my invention and desire tosecure by Letters Patent,is-

A collar block so constructed as to shape the interior of the front ofthe collar, and the interior of the rear of the collar neXt to thefront, and the interior only, and stretch them at the same time, andhold them firmly in the form required while the rear, or belly by hand,and worked, and beat into the form required, with 'a mallet, and othersuitable tools, substantially as described.

E. D. GOULD. Witnesses:

I. DENNIS, J r., JOHN S. HoLLINGsHEAD.

of the collar is manipulated

